Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, has doubled down on a controversial campaign advertisement targeting his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton. Ramaswamy publicly accused Acton of “lying about lying” after she condemned the ad, which features her estranged mother, Donna Arthur, questioning Acton’s account of her childhood.
The campaign spot centers on Arthur’s claims regarding her daughter’s past. Acton has previously spoken about her difficult upbringing, which included being separated from her mother in 1978 after her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping her when she was 12 years old.
Ramaswamy defended the ad on Friday, insisting it was intended to highlight alleged dishonesty regarding Acton’s personal history rather than to exploit the trauma of childhood abuse. However, police and court records obtained by the Associated Press contradict the narrative presented by Donna Arthur in the ad, confirming the criminal charges filed against Cledith Arthur during that period.
The dispute has intensified the final stretch of the gubernatorial race, drawing sharp criticism from observers regarding the campaign's decision to leverage family estrangement and disputed accounts of past abuse for political gain.
